James Te-Huna is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

.

Early career and background

Te-Huna is of Maori descent and became the first New Zealander to enter the UFC.
Te-Huna racked up victories on the local circuit, in Australia, as well as suffering a submission loss (via shoulder dislocation) to Bellator Fighting Championship season one middleweight champion, Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard is a Cuban-Australian mixed martial artist. Lombard was a Judo Olympian competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games, and is a multiple time national champion and world finalist. After 2000, Lombard began pursuing a career in mixed martial arts...

.

Prior to joining the UFC he defeated veteran journeyman Antony Rea

Antony Rea

Antony Rea is an French professional mixed martial artist. Antony is a Cage Rage veteran and has fought for Shooto, bodogFIGHT and Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki. He is notable for his fights with Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders Vitor Belfort, Marvin Eastman, Jason MacDonald, Kazuo Takahashi,...

 whilst competing for the Cage Fighting Championship promotion. He became the Cage Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight World Champion at CFC 10 by defeating UFC fighter Anthony Perosh

Anthony Perosh

Anthony Perosh is an Australian mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competes in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions...

 by first round knockout. Te-Huna was later sanctioned by the promotion for illegally stomping on Perosh after the referee had stopped the bout. Cage Fighting Championship promoter Luke Pezzutti issued the following statement concerning Te-Huna's behaviour, "To Anthony Perosh and the supporters/ Fans of Cage Fighting Championship, we apologize and do not condone nor tolerate the un-sportsman like actions of James Te-Huna at the CFC 10 August 21 event where the referee Ivan Walton stepped in to stop the fight between James and Anthony, and as a result of his actions that evening he has been fined 20% of his fight purse and has offered to write a letter of apology to Anthony Perosh, CFC officials and the supporters of CFC. CFC officials will amend rules, regulations to further prevent this type of behavior from our athletes." A formal letter of apology was duly issued on Te-Huna's behalf.

Having been born in New Zealand but training out of Australia, when Te-Huna was asked whether he considered himself Australian or New Zealand he responded "In World War II my grandfather fought for New Zealand and Australia, and so do I."

Te-Huna has stated his concerns for the 2011 earthquake tragedy in New Zealand "I am heart broken over the devastation in Christchurch. I was born just outside of the city & have family there, as far as I know they are all safe. This weekend I will not only be fighting for myself but to help rebuild the lives of those who have suffered. I will be donating all of my fight earnings from this weekends match to NZ 2011 Earthquake appeal"

Te-Huna was lucky to escape serious injuries after a twenty foot shop glass panel fell on top of him while walking to training alongside a busy Sydney mall. He was later taken to hospital.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Te-Huna then signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

 and made his debut at UFC 110

UFC 110

UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 21 February 2010 in Sydney, Australia, at the Acer Arena. The event marked the UFC's first trip to Australia. The main card was scheduled for 2:00 pm Sunday in Sydney to cater...

 against Igor Pokrajac

Igor Pokrajac

Igor Pokrajac is a Croatian mixed martial artist currently fighting at Light Heavyweight.-Mixed martial arts career:Pokrajac started his professional MMA career in 2003, primarily competing in his native Croatia...

. Te-Huna was victorious via TKO stopping his opponent with nine consecutive punches using his broken arm he suffered during the bout. His next fight was scheduled to be at UFC 120

UFC 120

UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 16, 2010 at the O2 Arena in London, England. The first ever UK UFC Fan Expo coincided with this event. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S. and Canada...

 against UFC newcomer Tom Blackledge

Tom Blackledge

Tom Blackledge is an English mixed martial artist. He trains at Wolfslair MMA Academy in Liverpool, England. Blackledge is a Cage Rage veteran and was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.-Early career:...

. However, on 11 July, Te-Huna withdrew from the fight due to injury and was replaced by James McSweeney

James McSweeney

James Adam McSweeney is an English mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.-Biography:...

.
Te-Huna made his return at UFC 127

UFC 127

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in North America...

 against Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson is a Swedish mixed martial artist who has competed for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, Shooto, FinnFight and UFC in his career. He is currently signed with the UFC fighting in their light heavyweight division. As of August 2011, Gustafsson is ranked the #9 light-heavyweight in the...

, where was defeated by first-round submission due to a rear-naked choke. He donated his fight purse to the Christchurch earthquake victims, and the UFC matched his donation.

Te-Huna faced Ricardo Romero

Ricardo Romero (fighter)

Ricardo Romero is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a featured competitor on multiple occasions for the Ring of Combat promotion which featured on HDNet Fights and also competed for their Light Heavyweight title...

 on 24 September 2011 at UFC 135

UFC 135

UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.-Background:...

. Te-Huna won by way of KO (punches) 47 seconds into the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Win
| align="center" | 13-5
| Ricardo Romero

Ricardo Romero (fighter)

Ricardo Romero is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a featured competitor on multiple occasions for the Ring of Combat promotion which featured on HDNet Fights and also competed for their Light Heavyweight title...

| KO (punches)
| UFC 135

UFC 135

UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.-Background:...

|
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 0:47
| Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 12–5
| Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson is a Swedish mixed martial artist who has competed for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, Shooto, FinnFight and UFC in his career. He is currently signed with the UFC fighting in their light heavyweight division. As of August 2011, Gustafsson is ranked the #9 light-heavyweight in the...

| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 127

UFC 127

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in North America...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:27
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–4
| Igor Pokrajac

Igor Pokrajac

Igor Pokrajac is a Croatian mixed martial artist currently fighting at Light Heavyweight.-Mixed martial arts career:Pokrajac started his professional MMA career in 2003, primarily competing in his native Croatia...

| TKO (punches)
| UFC 110

UFC 110

UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 21 February 2010 in Sydney, Australia, at the Acer Arena. The event marked the UFC's first trip to Australia. The main card was scheduled for 2:00 pm Sunday in Sydney to cater...

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 3:26
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–4
| Anthony Perosh

Anthony Perosh

Anthony Perosh is an Australian mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competes in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions...

| KO (punches)
| CFC 10: Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:21
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
| Wins CFC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–4
| Priscus Fogagnolo
| TKO (punches)
| CFC 9: Fighters Paradise
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 2:37
|Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

, Australia
| CFC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Second Round
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–4
| Antony Rea

Antony Rea

Antony Rea is an French professional mixed martial artist. Antony is a Cage Rage veteran and has fought for Shooto, bodogFIGHT and Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki. He is notable for his fights with Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders Vitor Belfort, Marvin Eastman, Jason MacDonald, Kazuo Takahashi,...

| KO (punches)
| CFC 8: Light Heavyweight Grand Prix
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:52
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
| CFC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix First Round
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–4
| David Gibb
| KO (punches)
| XFC: Return of the Hulk
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| N/A
|Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–4
| Sam Brown
| Decision (unanimous)
| EFG: Weapons of Mass Destruction
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|Penrith

Penrith

Penrith may be:*Penrith, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia**Penrith Panthers, rugby league team**Penrith Stadium, home ground of the Penrith Panthers**Penrith Bears, ice-hockey team**City of Penrith, local government area...

, Australia
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 6–4
| Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard is a Cuban-Australian mixed martial artist. Lombard was a Judo Olympian competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games, and is a multiple time national champion and world finalist. After 2000, Lombard began pursuing a career in mixed martial arts...

| Submission (shoulder injury)
| Warriors Realm 8
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:50
|Geelong, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–3
| Takahiro Oba
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| X-plosion
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 5:00
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 5–3
| James Lee

James Lee (fighter)

James Lee is an American mixed martial artst who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Lee is an All-American wrestler. He was scheduled to fight on the UFC 88 card in Atlanta, Georgia against Tim Boetsch but withdrew due to injury. He is also an alumnus of Orchard Lake St...

| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| KOTC: Gunfather
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:37
|Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast

There are several places around the globe that use the name Sunshine Coast. They are collections of coastal towns and/or cities that have banded together, usually for tourist promotional reasons...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–2
| Edwin Aguilar

Edwin Aguilar

Edwin Aguilar is a Panamanian professional footballer playing in Colombia for Categoria Primera A team Real Cartagena.-Club career:...

| TKO (punches)
| Kumite 2
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| N/A
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–2
| Adrian Leatuna
| TKO (punches)
| Kumite 1
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| N/A
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 3–2
| Matt Knight
| DQ (fence grabbing)
| KOTC: Australia
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:01
|Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–1
| Kym Robinson
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| XFC 6: Ultimate Fighting Returns
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:19
|Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–1
| Rocky Huni
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| XFC 5: When Worlds Collide
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| N/A
|Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–1
| Matt Knight
| Submission
| Xtreme Fight Club 2
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 1:20
|Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 0–1
| Api Hemara
| Submission (armbar)
| Spartan Reality Fight 6
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:20
|Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, Australia
|

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=stats.fightCard&eid=e6a44901-75c2-461f-bb47-6e7ec94afe3f

External links

• Official UFC Profile
• http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=stats.fightCard&eid=e6a44901-75c2-461f-bb47-6e7ec94afe3f